Proteas duo out of IPL after Delhi Capitals defeated

Proteas fast bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje saw their 2021 IPL hopes dashed after the Delhi Capitals lost to the Kolkata Knight Riders in their qualifier on Wednesday.

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The Knight Riders beat the Capitals by three wickets in Sharjah and will now play the Chennai Super Kings in the tournament’s final on Friday.

KKR restricted the Delhi Capitals to a total of 135/5 in their 20 overs with a disciplined effort in the field that saw no bowler concede more than 30 runs.

Shikhar Dhawan top-scored with 36 while Shreyas Iyer struck an unbeaten 30 in a below-par batting effort as spinner Varun Chakravarthy returned figures of 2-26.

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Kolkata then made a great start to the run-chase as openers Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer put on 96 inside 13 overs to effectively put the game to bed.

Iyer hit 55 off 41 balls while Gill struck a run-a-ball 46 but Kolkata lost their way spectacularly as the finishing line came closer.

Rabada took 2-23 while Nortje finished with 2-31 as the Delhi Capitals came back into the contest.

It came down to the last over bowled by spinner Ravi Ashwin as Kolkata then needed six from the last two balls and Rahul Tripathi delivered the blow that sealed the game.

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“We are delighted to get over the line,” said Knight Riders skipper Eoin Morgan.

“We are in the entertainment business and needed to play some entertaining cricket. Six off two and you would say the odds are for the bowling side. But Tripathi has done it for us so many times.”

Morgan said his team would “dissect” the nervy finish before they play three-time champions Chennai Super Kings in the final on Friday.

“It should’ve been a lot easier after the start we got,” he admitted.

The final will start at 16:00 SA time.